Weekly Google Plus 52 Silver 1 ounce Coins or Bars Giveaway
It is 2012 and we are giving away 52 Silver 1 ounce Coins or Bars. Swiss Metal Assets is committed to bringing you the latest information on the Precious Metals and Rare Industrial Metals market.
Silver is a store of value and one of the critical metals according to the United States Geological Survey and the British Geological Survey. Silver is so important to the world around us that we think that a weekly giveaway is in order.
Giveaway rules:
- Please Follow Swiss Metal Assets on Google Plus by adding us to your circles
- Please reshare the post you saw this Giveaway on in your Google Plus stream.
- As a comment please guess the closing price of Silver by Thursday at 1pm for the Comex Silver closing price on Fridays at 6pm.
- You can also help us out by giving us a +1 on our website, not required but we sure wouldn´t mind.
This is an international competition so everyone can try to guess the price weekly. We are a German company based in Panama and we welcome everyone.
Silver bullion demand is skyrocketing in Australia
Investment demand to buy silver bullion in Australia is skyrocketing, according to Gold De Royale, Australia’s largest silver bullion dealer.
“With the US national debt crossing $15 trillion, investors are preparing for the worst-case scenario, hyperinflation,” according to George Vo, Sales Manager of Gold De Royale.
We have never seen this much demand for silver, with silver price at the perfect buying opportunity. Investors are doubling up their precious metal portfolio with silver bullion.
Investors do not want to hold money in banks these days, fearing a bank run. Moreover, the financial situation in the US is not getting better.
The so-called super committee in the US, who was set up to save $1.2 trillion, was not able to reach to any bipartisan agreement. Uncertainty in the US economy will lead investors to look for safe-haven investments, such as silver bullion.
“Since the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September 2008, sales of silver bullion have been very strong. For many silver investors, the white metal is seen as a more highly leveraged alternative to gold, with greater potential.”
Historically, the ratio between gold and silver has been in the range of 12:1 to 16:1. This meant that for each ounce of gold you could exchange it for 12 to 16 ounces of silver. Today, the ratio is near 50:1 as silver is undervalued relative to gold.
As gold price increases we will see that gap narrow. This provides investors a massive profit potential.
“Our market analysis is showing that the average price of silver bullion could rise to $45 an ounce in 2012, as investment demand is expected to support it”, said Gold De Royale. As investment demand increases, we could see silver reach higher than $50 by end of 2012. – Bullion Street.
Source: http://vietnambusiness.asia/silver-bullion-demand-is-skyrocketing-in-australia/
Gold Tops $1,800 in N.Y. as Europe Crisis Spurs Investor Demand
Nov. 8 (Bloomberg) — Gold futures topped $1,800 an ounce for the first time in almost seven weeks on concern that European leaders will be unable to contain the region’s debt crisis, fueling demand for the precious metal as a haven.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi failed to muster an absolute majority on a routine parliamentary ballot today, fueling more calls for his resignation. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke signaled more monetary stimulus may be needed to cut unemployment, while the European Central Bank last week unexpectedly lowered interest rates. Gold has rallied more than 11 percent since the end of September.
“The turmoil in Europe has brought the fear trade back to gold,” Lance Roberts, the chief executive officer of Houston- based Streettalk Advisors, said in a telephone interview. “Also, a renewed wave of policy easing by central banks is helping gold.”
Gold futures for December delivery rose 0.5 percent to close at $1,799.20 an ounce at 1:47 p.m. on the Comex in New York, after touching $1,804.40, the highest since Sept. 21. Prices fell to $1,785.70 in after-hours trading.
Earnings growth in Europe will stagnate in 2012 as governments rein in spending and banks shrink their balance sheets, according to Gary Baker, the London-based head of European equity strategy at Bank of America Corp.
“Fundamentals are stronger than before, with the EU crisis more complicated than before,” Pradeep Unni, an analyst at Richcomm Global Services in Dubai, said in a report. “Retracements and corrections are possible as we climb above $1,800, but stay invested.”
Extended Rally
Berlusconi offered to resign as soon as Parliament approves austerity measures in a vote next week, Italian President Giorgio Napolitano said tonight in an e-mailed statement after meeting Berlusconi in Rome.
Bullion is in the 11th year of a bull market, and futures reached a record $1,923.70 in New York on Sept. 6 as investors sought to diversify away from equities and some currencies. The precious metal has gained 27 percent this year.
Silver futures for December delivery advanced 0.9 percent to close at $35.153 an ounce on the Comex, rising for the second straight day.
On the New York Mercantile Exchange, platinum futures for January delivery rose 0.9 percent to $1,673.10 an ounce. Palladium futures for December delivery climbed 2.3 percent to $677.25 an ounce.
-With assistance from Phoebe Sedgman in Melbourne, Adam Haigh and Nicholas Larkin in London. Editors: Steve Stroth, Daniel Enoch
To contact the reporter for this story: Debarati Roy in New York at [email protected].
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Steve Stroth at [email protected]
By Debarati Roy
Source: http://www.businessweek.com/
Higher Prices for Numerous Rare Earth-Based Consumer Products
Consumers can expect significantly higher prices for a variety of consumer goods that use rare earth metals as at least one raw material, according to Michael Silver, president and chairman of the board of American Elements, a global manufacturer of engineered and advanced materials including rare earth metals and chemicals.
“The U.S. consumer has no idea the number of simple everyday products that will be impacted by the huge jump over the last year in rare earth prices,” says Silver. “Over the past two decades rare earths have become essential to the state of the art version of hundreds of household goods.”
According to Silver, computers, cell phones and other electronics will see manufacturing costs rise as neodymium is in computer hard drives, cerium is in the monitor screens and other rare earths play a part in the electronics. Products that rely on small electric motors often contain Neodymium magnets which have increased many fold in price.
Possibly the biggest impact will be felt in the cost of the family car.
“Rare Earths are ubiquitous in automobiles, he says. “Cerium is in the window glass to prevent yellowing and used as a glass polish in production. Yttrium is in spark plugs. Neodymium is in the electric motors that run everything from seat adjustments to windshield wipers. Lanthanum is in the batteries for electric and hybrid vehicles.”
He predicts higher prices will ripple through not just cars but all forms of transportation. The applications effecting automobiles will equally raise costs for other forms of transportation such as flight and rail.
Silver cites light bulbs as an example that consumers do not realize are affected by rare earth prices as Cerium is in bulb glass and Europium acts as the phosphor in fluorescent lights.
He predicts dental care costs will rise. Silver reports amalgam used to fill cavities is now based on a rare earth compound to get the new all white fillings to show up on an X-Ray the way the old metal fillings did.
Neodymium is used in modern welding goggles to remove glare. “Neodymium is a very magical material with many unrelated capabilities. When dispersed in glass, it prevents the wave length associated with yellow-green light from passing through, which is the wave length that causes eye damage,” Silver says.
Silver says the consumer will ultimately feel the pinch in cable television costs as well. Fiber optic cables run on EDFA technology which stands for ‘Erbium-Doped Fiber Amplification’, a technology reliant on the availability of Erbium which has skyrocketed in price. Existing infrastructures will not be impacted. New and replacement lines will.
American consumers may even be impacted at tax time. Silver says, “Our entire military equipment budget will increase due to higher rare earth costs and that will translate into higher government demand for revenue.” Rare earths are essential in the production of bullet proof vests (yttrium), night vision goggles (gadolinium) and F-35 and F-22 Fighter Jets, Bradley Armored Vehicle and AIM-9x Sidewinder missiles (neodymium).
American Elements is the world’s manufacturer of engineered & advanced materials with corporate offices and primary research & laboratory facilities in the United States and manufacturing & warehousing in the United States, China, Mexico and the United Kingdom.
September 27, 2011
(Source: PRNewswire)
By Rob Wynne
Alternative Metals to Gold and Silver
The last decade has been a wonderful time for Gold Bugs and Silver Bugs. We have profited and protected our wealth against inflation. Gold has risen from around $250 per ounce in 2001 to a recent high of $1917.90 and silver has risen from around $5 per ounce in 2001 to a recent high of $49.81. These numbers are quite exciting for anyone involved in the precious metals markets. Being a Silver Bug myself, I have to admit the ride up has been rather erratic. Long ago I had to learn to ignore the daily Comex price of Silver. Gold and Silver will continue to be an important part of my future holdings, but going forward I am beginning diversification into other metals. Here is a brief overview of some of the rare industrial metals I like and why I believe they are a good choice for anyone who believes in holding physical metals as part of their asset strategy.
There are many who believe the world is in a recession and this may be true in the USA, EU, and other Western nations. There are a few of us who still believe that the speed of industry and commerce is accelerating. I have spent time in Africa, had an opportunity to live in Europe for a few years and I currently live in Panama. This experience has opened my eyes to what is happening outside of the USA. What I see is a great mass of people who were once walking now driving cars. These same people are talking on mobile phones, watching television on a flat screen, using their laptop at a cafe, getting better medical care, flying on vacations, living in modern homes and working jobs that require technology. This is happening across the planet! Can you imagine the impact on demand for rare industrial metals from countries of the BRIC, (Brazil, Russia, India, China), with the size of their populations? Like it or not commercialization was tested in the USA and was a huge success and now it has been exported worldwide. Here in Panama with a population of just over 3 Million we are adding 3000 automobiles a month to the roads. There are enough mobile phones in Panama to give every citizen 3 handsets. All of this takes a lot of natural resources and metals. Below are some of the important metals I would like to introduce to you.
Tantalum, the rare technical and industrial metal that gives technology the ability to be compact. Have you ever wondered why we no longer have to carry around mobile phones the size of a brick? The tantalum capacitor was a revolutionary invention for the world. Today you find tantalum in all of your personal electronics. Tantalum is now being used in in medical implants because it is non-toxic and does not react with body fluids. It is also used in jet aircraft as an alloying agent. Current worldwide production of tantalum is approximately 1160t annually. By 2030 just the demand is estimated to be 1410t. A few years back there was a lot of controversy surrounding tantalum because of its “Conflict Metal” tag. The metal was originally being mined in the Congo but most tantalum is mined in Australia, Brazil, and Canada.
Indium, how do you like that touch screen on your mobile phone? This rare technical and industrial metal has become a star among the elements recently. Indium’s uses in phones, computers, semi-conductors and televisions are well known. The one use that I would really like to highlight is in CIGS (copper-indium-gallium-selenide) thin film solar cells. These solar panels are the latest technology to hit the solar industry. Recently we have heard India, Japan, USA, Germany, Spain and many other countries announce huge solar initiatives. India alone signed into law a US $19 billion plan to produce 20 GW of solar power by 2020. Under the plan, the use of solar-powered equipment and applications would be made compulsory on all government buildings, as well as hospitals and hotels. This initiative alone will use up all the entire world’s production of solar cells. According to the USGS 84% of all indium production is currently used in solar cell production. Current worldwide production of Indium is approximately 600t per year. The future amount of indium required will depend greatly on the solar industry. Indium is mined in China, Canada, Bolivia and Japan.
Cobalt, have you driven a hybrid or electric vehicle lately? This rare technical and industrial metal is the one of the elements that makes the batteries in these cars possible. Cobalt is also used in pigments, super-alloys, non-corrosive medical implants, dental implants and jet engines. The top use today is as an alloy to make metals resistant to corrosion. The one I see real promise in is the use of hybrid and electric vehicle batteries. By 2012 the estimated sales of hybrid vehicles worldwide is approximately 2.2 Million and by 2015 to be at least 10% of the world auto market. Currently the biggest hurdle to these vehicles is the added cost and the ability to produce enough batteries to meet the demand. Cobalt has gained a lot of attention since the London Metal Exchange (LME) launched a cobalt contract in February 2010. Current worldwide production of cobalt is approximately 57,500t annually. The future is bright for cobalt. Every aircraft that goes in the air and every hybrid vehicle sold will put greater pressure on the supply of this metal. Cobalt is mined in Australia, Congo, Russia, Zambia and a few other countries.
These are just a few of the metals that our world needs to operate and the future is looking great for all commodities. I like the rare technical and industrial metals because of the tight supply and all of the wonderful uses for them. The mining of these metals is often a by-product of base metal like copper, lead and zinc. Most of the large deposits have been found and are in production. This translates into a very tight supply for the future and profits for investors. Silver and Gold have been my metals of choice for many years, but I see great opportunity for the person who is adventurous and willing to add another asset to their portfolio before the masses catch on.
By: Randy Hilarski - The Rare Metals Guy
Source: http://www.buyrareearthmetalschinaprices.com